CHEM 2

Inorganic Chemistry
Acids, Bases and Ionic
Equations
Engr. Teresita Alcantara
Gen. Education Dept.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the module, the learners must be able to :
 Differentiate an acid from a base;
 Calculate the pH and pOH of solutions; and
 Write complete ionic and net ionic equations for chemical reactions
in aqueous solutions.
Properties of Acids
Physical Properties: Litmus Indicator:
○ Taste sour ○ Turns blue litmus paper
Chemical Properties: red
○ React with metals to Ions in Solution:
produce H2 gas ○ H+, H3O+ (hydronium ion)
○ Neutralized when
reacted with a base
Properties of Bases
Physical Properties: Litmus Indicator:
○ Taste Bitter ○ Turns red litmus paper
○ Slippery blue

Chemical Properties: Ions in Solution:

○ Neutralized when reacted ○ OH-1
with an acid ●
○ Do not react with metals
○ Why are bases used as
drain cleaners?
Arrhenius Acids & Bases
ACIDS: Acids contain the H+ ion
Ex.) HCl, HBr, HNO3

BASES: Bases contain the OH-1 ion

Ex.) NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2
Bronsted-Lowry Acids & Bases
Bronsted-Lowry Model:
○ For every acid, there must be a base
○ Acid = proton donor
○ Base = proton acceptor
ACID BASE +¿𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑁𝐻 4
+ ¿¿
¿
𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝐻
HCl (aq) + NH3 (aq)  NH4+ (aq) + Cl-1 (aq)
CONJUGATE CONJUGATE
ACID BASE
Conjugate Pairs
 Conjugate pair = two compounds differing only by the gain or loss
of one H+
Ex.) NH3 / NH4+ is a conjugate pair

 Every acid has a conjugate base, formed when H+ is removed from

the acid.

 Every base has a conjugate acid, formed when H+ is added to the

base.
Example
Identify the conjugate pair of each compound:
a) HCl in water

b) NaOH in water

c) NH3 in water
Types of Acids
● Monoprotic and Polyprotic Acids
○ Acids can contain 1 or more hydrogens that are acidic
■ **Not ALL hydrogens are acidic (Ex. Vinegar)

Identify the following as monoprotic or polyprotic:

HNO3, H2SO4, HClO, HClO4, H3PO4, HC2H3O2
Strength of Acids/Bases
Strengths of Acids
o Strong Acid Give off LOTS of H+
 100% Dissociation
 Strong Acids: HCl, HI, HBr, HNO3, H2SO4, HClO4
 That’s it! Everything else is “weak”

o Weak Acid Give off smaller amounts of H+

 Equilibrium occurs (molecules break apart and recombine)
 Not all H+ ions separate (not 100% dissociation)
Strength of Acids/Bases
Strengths of Bases
o Strong Base Give off LOTS of OH-1
 100% Dissociation
 Generally, Group I, II Hydroxides (except H, Be, Mg)
 Ex.) Ca(OH)2, NaOH
 Everything else is “weak”
o Weak Base Give off smaller amounts of OH-1
 Equilibrium occurs (breaks apart and then recombines)
 Not 100% dissociation
Strong or weak vs. concentrated and dilute
 Strong/weak tells you how much the acid or base dissociates
(breaks up)

 Concentrated/dilute indicates the concentration (amount of solute in

the solvent)
pH
pH & pOH
 pH tells us the acidity or basicity of a
solution
 Based on measuring the [H+] (a.k.a.
[H3O+])

pH Scale
 Ranges 0 to 14
 Acid ~ 0 to 7
 Bases ~ 7 to 14
Definition: Hydronium Ion
In aqueous solution, H+ does NOT exist!
Note: In problems, [H+] = [H3O+]
H+ + H2O  H3O+
(hydronium ion)
pH Equations
pH = - log [H3O+] where: [H+] = [H3O+]

pOH = - log [OH-]

Make sure you have the negative sign
Find the “log” function on your calculator

pH + pOH = 14
[H+][OH-] = 1.0 x 10-14
Example
What is the pH and pOH for a solution with an H + concentration, [H+],
of 3.0 x 10-6 M H+?
Example
What is the [H+ ]and [OH- ] concentration of blood with a pH of 7.40?
Neutralization Reactions
Neutralization reaction:
Reaction in which acid and base react to neutralize one another
Acid + Base  Water + Salt

***Salt = Any ionic compound formed as a by-product of an acid-base

reaction
Neutralization
Acid-base Titration:
Definition:
 Laboratory technique which allows you to get moles of acid and

base EXACTLY equal to another

 Complete neutralization

 Allows you to calculate the concentration of an unknown acid or

base
Neutralization
Procedure:
1. Add known volume of acid or base to
Erlenmeyer flask
2. Add a known concentration of the other to a
burette
3. Add an indicator to the flask
4. Slowly dispense titrant (what you’re adding
with a burette) into the flask
5. Stop when 1 drop of titrant causes the
indicator to switch from one color to another
Definitions
The titrant is the substance of known concentration used to determine
the unknown concentration of the other substance.

An indicator- substance that changes color at a certain pH—is added

to tell us when the neutralization is complete.

Example: Phenolphthalein undergoes a color change between pH 8

and 10
 clear in acid
 Light pink in neutral
 Dark pink in base
Neutralization
Equivalence point: pH at which amount of acid = amount of base
Indicator: Compound that changes color due to a change in pH
Common Indicators and pH Range
Litmus: 5.5 to 8.0 (red= acid, blue = base)
Phenolphthalein: 8.2 to 10.6 (colorless to magenta)
End point: Point at which the volume of titrant added makes the
amount of acid and base are equal and the indicator changes color
Aqueous Solutions
 Many possible solutes:
 Molecular compounds that exist as molecules
 Sucrose
 Ethanol
 Molecular compounds that exist as ions
 HCl
 HCl(g)  H + (aq) = Cl- (aq)
 Ionic compounds that exist as ions
 NaOH
 NaOH(aq)  Na + (aq) + OH- (aq)
Aqueous Solutions
 When two aqueous solutions containing ions react it is always a
double replacement reaction.
 The water does not react
 There are three possible products when aqueous solutions react:
 Precipitates
 Water
 Gases
Reactions that form Precipitates
 Double-replacement reaction

2NaOH(aq) + CuCl2 (aq)  2NaCl (aq) + Cu(OH)2(s)

 Ionic equations are used to show the details of reactions involving

ions
Writing Ionic Equations
a. You must show the reactants and the product as ions
b. A complete ionic equation shows all of the particles in the
solution as they realistically exist.
c. A net ionic equation only shows particles that participate in the
reaction.
d. To write a net ionic equation from a complete ionic equation
eliminate all spectators.
Complete Ionic Equations
● AgNO3(aq) + NaCl(aq)  AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)

● What type of reaction is this?

● Ag+(aq) + NO3-(aq) + Na+ (aq) + Cl-(aq)  AgCl(s) + Na+ (aq) + NO3-
(aq)

● A complete ionic equation is an equation that shows dissolved

ionic compounds as dissociated free ions.
●
Spectator Ions
Ag+(aq) + NO3-(aq) + Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq)  AgCl(s) + Na+(aq) + NO3-(aq)

Ions that are not directly involved in a reaction are called spectator
ions
They appear on both sides of the arrow exactly the same way

An ion that appears on both sides of an equation and is not directly

involved in the reaction is called a spectator ion.
Net Ionic Equation
 Eliminate spectators and rewrite the equation
Ag+(aq) + Cl-(aq)  AgCl(s)

 Make sure that the net charge is balanced. For example…

Pb(s) + 2Cl-(aq)  PbCl2(s)
 The net ionic equation is an equation for a reaction in solution that
shows only those particles that are directly involved in the chemical
change.
Practice
Write the complete ionic and net ionic equations for the example:

1. HBr(aq) + NaOH(aq)  H2O (l) + NaBr(aq)

2. 2HI(aq) + Li2S(aq)  H2S(g) + 2LiI(aq)
Practice
Write the complete ionic and net ionic equations for the example:
1) HBr(aq) + NaOH(aq)  H2O (l) + NaBr(aq)
(aq)  H2O (l) + (aq)
(aq)  H2O (l)
Practice
Write the complete ionic and net ionic equations for the
example:
2. 2HI(aq) + Li2S(aq)  H2S(g) + 2LiI(aq)
 H2S(g) +
 H2S(g)
Thank You